


Die by the Flowers

by Cheshires_Riddles



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Keith (Voltron), Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Hanahaki Disease, How Do I Tag, M/M, Omega Lance (Voltron), Omega Verse, Pining Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 20:50:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21398458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshires_Riddles/pseuds/Cheshires_Riddles
Summary: Lance can't help but fall for the two alpha in his life. Problem is, they are already mated to each other. When Lance starts to cough up blood and flower petals every time he sees Keith and Shiro together, he tries to keep it a secret. He don't want to ruin their relationship by tell them what he's going through. But can he really just forget his feelings or is he doomed to die by flowers? This is my first hanahaki and omegaverse story, so be gentle.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Lance/Shiro (Voltron), side Hunk/Shay (Voltron)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 636





	Die by the Flowers

Shiro and Keith were a perfect couple. Lance knew that. So, what if they were both alphas, they were happy together and that’s all that mattered. Lance was just an omega; he didn’t need to be a part of them. They didn’t need him. But yet… he couldn’t stop himself from watching them when the group hung out. They would hang out in the mall, the beach, or someone’s house. The whole group was there, even Pidge who was finishing up college. They all had fun together, relaxing and matching movies, or doing something crazy. But Lance couldn’t stop the ideas in his head about being in between two powerful alphas.

Lance couldn’t think of a time before he liked Shiro or Keith. Well, maybe he could think of a time before liking Keith, but Shiro had always been there. Shiro was a hero in the international flight program at the Garrison. He was the best pilot the garrison had ever produced. He even joined the military once he was out and served well. He was captain before anyone knew it, and everyone knew he would be going places. But one dark night, his plane had been attacked. He lost his copilot and his right arm when the plane crashed in the jungle. He was missing for a year before they found him in a makeshift treehouse.

Keith was a bit of pain in the beginning, but Lance would admit that he hadn’t been that nice to Keith in the beginning either. Keith was supposed to be the best pilot of his generation. Society didn’t really look at alphas as being the best at everything anymore, but they did get a few more chances that others. Lance was smart and had the best grades in their year, but Keith had the natural instinct. Lance knew it was sort of stupid to be jealous of Keith for things like that, but it hurt a bit when the teachers compared the two of them. It was a lot harder to deal with when Shiro went missing and Keith dropped out. Lance was always reminded that he was only in the more advanced program only because Keith left. But after Shiro came back and the group hung out together, Lance started to learn who Keith really was and started to like him.

Lance was confused and hurt when Shiro and Keith announced that they were a couple two months after he had come back. Of course, he was happy for them, after everything Shiro and Keith had been through, it was good to see them happily together. Lance just tried not to think about how he wanted to be with both, which rarely worked. He was good at keeping up the mask of it though. He still acted the same around Keith and Shiro but when he got home, he would just curl up with his cats Blue and Kaltenecker. Lance knew that he could get another alpha if he tried, he was a very likable omega. Sure he used some suppressants to stop him from going through full heats, but when he won’t always use them. He wanted a large family and a strong caring alpha, but he would just have to live with not having the two alphas he had fallen for.

-(0o0)-

Lance woke slowly. He was always one to wake last. He knew it was partly because he was an omega sleeping in his nest, but also because he needed his beauty sleep. Lance was not one of those omegas who obsessed over his looks, but he did have quite a few insecurities that he covered up with his beauty routines. He was the real reason all the girls in his family had a pamper night bimonthly. He was happy to spend the nights with his family at the very least.

Lance pushed up his eye mask and frowned at what he saw. He wasn’t sure why there was a red stain on his pillow as it wasn’t there when he went to seep. It wasn’t his face mask either as it was blue, and he didn’t wrestle in his sleep unless he was having a nightmare. He was actually having a really nice dream about being with the alpha couple. He knew it was a pointless to keep dreaming of the two, but he couldn’t help it. He pushed himself out of bed and tried not to think of the new stain on his bed. He knew some of his nieces or nephews got bloody noses during the night, so he passed off the stain as nothing more than that and went about his normal routine.

Lance had other things to worry about today anyway. The group was going to the beach to celebrate the first full week of summer. Pidge had just graduated so they were all free adults now, or at least as far as schooling went. They all had jobs they had to deal with now. Pidge was considering going for her masters in computer science, but she said she needed a break from school before she went through more of it.

Lance had to get ready soon because he was going to Hunk’s so he could help make the food for their trip. They would be eating lunch and dinner on the beach today. It was going to be a day long celebration for them all. Pidge and Matt were even going to bring some fireworks for when it got dark. Lance couldn’t wait to have the party with all of his friends. Lance liked that he slept in a bit, but he didn’t want to doddle around too much. He didn’t want to make Hunk do all the cooking. True, Hunk was a chief when he wasn’t at his engineering job, but Lance liked to cook too. The omega liked the act of cooking and mixing thing. He may be a pilot like Keith and Shiro, but he did like a simple family life too. Some would say that was just his omega, but Lance knew there was more to it than that. He grew up being always with his family, and even when he left them for school, they were just a phone call away. Lance knew he wanted a big family with his mate, and really hoped he would be able to have one.

He drove over to Hunk’s house after grabbing extra sunscreen, towels, and his surfboard. In planning, he had already promised to show Allura how to surf. Lance parked in the driveway and walked right into his childhood friend’s house. They knew each other for too long to wait for someone to open the door for him. “So buddy, what are we making for food?” Lance asked the beta. Hunk smiled as he gave Lance the rundown of what he had planned. They would have sandwiches for lunch, each one specially made for each friend’s liking, and fresh fruit. Then for dinner, they would have fried chicken. Hunk would cook the chicken before hand, and when they got to the beach, they would reheat it over a nice fire. Lance loved everything Hunk cooked. The big guy had the heart and the talent for it. Growing up with his two mothers and their restaurant didn’t hurt the beta either.

Lance and Hunk cooked the morning hours away, glad to be finishing up when Allura sent Lance a text saying she was heading off to the beach. Allura, Matt, and Pidge would be there first, since they lived closest. They would be the ones that would hunt for a good spot and save it for the group of them. Lance and Hunk would meet the other three there soon after with all the food. Keith and Shiro would be the last ones to arrive, but they would be bringing most of the other supplies.

Lance knew he really shouldn’t be so happy to see Shiro and Keith today. So what if they would only be in swim trunks, it shouldn’t matter. Shiro and Keith were mated to each other and had the marks on their necks to prove it. Lance just couldn’t help wanting to look at them. Both alphas were good looking in their own way that just made Lance feel a need to stare. Shiro was obviously good looking being as strong as he was, even if he was uncomfortable with his metal prosthetic. Lance saw the replaced arm and the scar marks as the proof of Shiro’s strength and honors. How many other alphas could say they survived a year in the jungle with only one arm?

Then of course Keith wasn’t built the same way that Shiro was, but that didn’t mean he was any less attractive. Keith’s strength was all wiry tight muscles. He was still strong, but he could move fast and had the stamina to last. Keith was an alpha that followed his instincts before anything else. It was just as hot to have an alpha who was cool and calculated as one that flew by the seat of his pants.

Lance stopped himself before he could start over thinking and fantasizing about the two alphas. He stopped the cough that itched at his throat and returned to helping Hunk cook. They loaded the food into Lance’s car, and Lance changed into his wetsuit before they headed out. The drive to the beach was a nice ride. Lance enjoyed Hunk’s company. There was a reason they were childhood friends and knew most of the other’s secrets. Lance could never tell Hunk about having feelings for Keith and Shiro, but he was sure Hunk kept some things to himself. He did know if there was ever a problem one had, the other would be just a call away.

As they got to the beach, Hunk called Pidge to ask about where they should park and know where they would be carrying the food. Matt agreed to come up from the spot the girls were watching to help Lance and Hunk carry the food down. Allura and Pidge had a cooler between them as well, courtesy of the Holt family. Pidge had set up her beach speakers and had some music playing already. The beach was warm, but it wasn’t crowded. Not everyone was free for the summer yet, but that was okay. It just gave them more freedom and more space on the beach.

Lance gave both girls a hug after putting the food down. “Well, we got food and drinks. And I must say we have a beautiful view, and the ocean of course,” Lance said with a wink towards Allura. Allura may be an alpha as well, but both Allura and Lance knew there would be nothing happening between them. Lance just flirted with her a small joke. The white haired alpha was just too fun to tease, even if she just rolled her eyes at Lance’s words. There once was a time Lance would have said he did have true feelings for Allura, but now it was more a brother/sister like relationship that suited each of them well.

“Pidge and I got some snacks and drinks on our way down here, too. So we should be able to last the whole day here without getting anything else.” Matt said. Lance smiled and sat down beside the youngest Holt to look at the music and pick a few he would like to listen too. This was going to be a fun day. “And Shiro texted me as I was walking to meet Hunk and Lance. He and Keith were just leaving, so they should be here in the next fifteen, twenty minutes.” Matt added.

Lance chuckled lightly as he pushed himself to his feet, “Keith is never going to beat me to the water if he doesn’t get a move on.” The group started to set up the bit that they had, a few blankets and Allura’s beach umbrella. Lance really couldn’t think of a better day than being with his friends. He was waxing down his surfboard when Keith and Shiro called to them from higher up on the beach.

“Hey, sorry we’re late.” Shiro said. The strong alpha really was too kind sometimes. They had not set up a specific time that they were supposed to be at the beach. They couldn’t be late there was not time to be there. It wasn’t like they could still meet up as easily as they could when they were all in the garrison.

“Don’t worry buddy, you haven't missed anything.” Matt returned. Lance would sometimes be jealous of how close Matt was to Shiro, but he pushed the feelings away. Matt and Shiro were as close as Lance was with Hunk. They were just good friends. If there was anyone Lance should be jealous of for being close to Shiro, it was Keith. But then he was jealous of Shiro for getting to be so close to Keith too. Lance tried to keep his eyes on his surfboard when he noticed Shiro and Keith in only swim trunks and thin t-shirts. They each were carrying bags of towels and blankets. Shiro had his prosthetic off, but it was probably a good idea to keep a metal arm out of the water. Lance felt is chest tight a bit and hurt as his eyes fell on the mate marks on both alpha’s neck, connecting them to each other. He did his best to swallow the feelings. They did no good to anyone.

Lance turned away to steady himself. He was here with all of their friends to celebrate summer. He was not there to stare and be jealous of Keith and Shiro. He picked up his board and smirked as he turned back to the new arrivals. “It just means that I can say I beat Keith into the water.” He laughed as he ran into the water and started to swim out on his board. He always felt more at home in the water. His mother would always call him her little merman. The rest of the group, besides Keith, joined Lance in the water shortly after. Their local emo wasn’t the most open about water. Of course Keith knew how to swim, he didn’t want to get wet right away. He did join them though after Shiro and Matt through him into the water. Even with one arm, Shiro was still a strong alpha. Lance gave his friends a turn on his surfboard if they wanted to. Hunk was not too fond of the motion of the ocean, so he decided to keep his feet on the ground. Lance did carry Pidge on his shoulders for a bit, and he taught Allura to surf. She did push him off the board as he tried to reenact Titanic’s iconic scene though.

When lunch came around, they all relaxed on their blankets to eat. Pidge did ask for more peanut butter on her sandwich, but that was the only bad comment to Lance and Hank’s cooking. Shiro wouldn’t let them go into the water until a half hour passed after they ate though. He definitely acted like the dad of the group. It was fine though, the group wanted to do a little bit before they went back to play in the water. They were there for the whole day, they were fine with waiting. Pidge and Hunk went up the beach to a few of the shops, they wanted to get some ice cream. They did agree to bring some back for everyone. Matt went down a bit away to where the tide pools had formed; the nerd wanted to see what he could find. Lance hand stripped off the top of his wetsuit and lay down beside Allura to soak in some sun. They were both pretty tan as it was, but Lance didn’t mind trying to get that nice sunkissed skin. Summer always made his natural tanned skin get a little bit darker. Lance tried not to watch Shiro and Keith cuddling on under the umbrella. For someone who was raised half their life in the desert, Keith really didn’t like going in the sun. Lance teased Keith sometimes saying it was his emo nature, but it did mean something that he was out on the beach despite not wanting to be in the sun.

When Pidge and Hunk came back with the ice cream, they were glad to share. It was a nice to have a group of friends to hang with. Lance enjoyed every moment he got with them. It made dealing with his feelings for Keith and Shiro better when they were in a group. He didn’t know how he could deal with them alone. He knew they wouldn’t force him to watch them be a couple, but Lance didn’t need to be reminded that he was just extra when it came to their relationship.

Lance froze though when his eyes drifted over to Shiro and Keith with just enough time to see Shiro lean in to lick some ice cream off Keith’s lip and then kissed him. Lance felt his heart stop and his throat close. He almost dropped his own ice cream sandwich as he started coughing. Hunk looked over to him worried and moved over to pat his back softly to try and help. Matt moved and took Lance’s ice cream so he didn’t drop it. Lance covered his mouth with both hands, in more pain than a normal cough should have caused, but not knowing the reason.

“Lance, are you okay?” Shiro asked once his coughing started to settle down. Everyone looked very worried, the three alphas more than anyone. That was obvious though since the omega of the group had been hurt. Lance still felt his heart skip a beat though as it seemed Keith and Shiro were ready to hold him to make him better. He quickly pushed the thoughts from his head as he felt another round of coughs scratch at his throat.

“Yea, I think the ice cream just went down the wrong tube.” He said. He picked up a bit of water as he tried hard to stop the others from looking at him. He knew they were still worried, but he was fine. He didn’t want to worry the others with what really happened. If he told them what really happened, he would be admitting his feelings to Shiro and Keith, and he wouldn’t do that. They were happy without him. They didn’t need to know what he felt.

It was when Lance reached for a bottle of water, he noticed a bit of blood on his hand. He quickly wiped his hand on his towel so no one else would notice as he ran his tongue over the inside of his mouth, not knowing if he had bit his cheek or tongue when he was coughing. His whole upper body hurt, so he wouldn’t be surprised if he was hurt and he didn’t feel the pain. He didn’t know if he should feel relieved or more worried when he didn’t taste any more blood in his mouth. He took a long drink of water and took his ice cream back from Matt. He forced himself to keep his eyes off Keith and Shiro. If it hurt to just look at them, he wouldn’t look. It was doing him no good to wish for things and mates who were happy without him.

-(0o0)-

Lance wasn’t stupid, even if he sometimes acted differently. He knew after hanging out with Shiro and Keith at the beach and then a few days later, that his chest would feel tight and he would start coughing because of them. He didn’t know what they were doing that was making him feel sick, and he really wasn’t trying to blame them. But every time he started coughing, he was around Shiro and Keith. Of course there were times when he started coughing, and he wasn’t around the alpha couple. But it usually happened after he thought about them or saw them in a picture. Sometimes it wasn’t as bad as the day at the beach, but other times, he had to sit down it hurt so much.

He didn’t always cough up blood either, and even if he was worried when he did, he didn’t want someone to know. He was trying so hard to not care for them. He wanted to think of them as only friends. He wanted to act just like Matt or Hunk did with the alphas. Maybe it was because he was an omega and biologically he couldn’t act the same with them as the beta’s did. But Lance was someone who didn’t let his secondary dynamic control him. Just because he was an omega didn’t mean he couldn’t be like everyone else.

It was two months after the first day he saw the blood on his pillow, did something even stranger come up when he was coughing. It ended up being a flower petal. It was a whole flower petal, just resting in his hand. The pretty blackish purple color was staring up at him. Lance didn’t know if he should go to the doctor or not. How could he ever explain that he coughed up flowers? The doctors would think him some kid playing a joke. He looked up the symptoms he had and frowned at the responses. He didn’t know if he should believe what these non-doctors had to say.

However, everything he read agreed that this was linked to his feelings. He needed to forget his feelings for Shiro and Keith now more than ever. He wished he could just leave the two of them for a while until he forgot his feelings, but he still wanted to be their friend. He wanted to laugh and joke with them like everyone else. And even if he tried to escape the two alphas, it would mean he would have to leave the rest of his friends too. Maybe he could arrange to go to Cuba to visit his extended family, but he couldn’t do that as quickly as he wanted to.

Lance knew he loved Keith and Shiro, both of them equally. He did not like one alpha above the other. But he also knew he loved them enough to let them go. He saw how the alpha couple acted together. And even if it was rare for two alpha’s to be together, they made it work for them. The two had been raised together. They knew each other better than anyone else. How could he ever ask to join that? How could he ever think he would be on equal level as the relationship they already had? He would never have them feel awkward knowing his true feelings for them. He also didn’t want to tempt either one of the alpha’s with a willing omega. Most mated alphas couldn’t be tempted by another omega since they had their own mate, beta or omega. But the fact that Shiro and Keith were both alpha’s, an omega might appease to their second gender and they could lose themselves. Not that Lance thought Keith or Shiro would ever lose control, but he still didn’t want to be temptation.

Besides, Lance had seen other attractive alphas and betas who he liked, though none had been as lasting as Keith and Shiro. There was guy at his workplace, Lotor, who seemed like he was interested, if it wasn’t for a mate. Lance was a strong, young omega. It shouldn’t be hard for him to find a mate. But as he thought of the other alphas, he knew they would never be able to like them as much as he liked Shiro and Keith.

-(0o0)-

Lance laughed along with Matt at Hunk, not that they were laughing at him in a mean way. They had pulled a little prank on the big guy and he had tossed the pancake he was cooking when he jumped in surprise and it had landed on his head. Hunk was having a small sleep over at his house because his long distance girlfriend was up for the month. Shay and Hunk were adorable together. There really was no cutter pair than the beta and omega.

Pidge, Matt, and Lance were staying over for a movie night, and Hunk was making them all breakfast for dinner. It was nice to have Shay with their little group of friends. Lance wished the other omega was with them more often, but Shay worked at her family’s jewelry story and couldn’t get away very often. Keith and Shiro couldn’t be there because they said they had other plans. Allura was also missing from the group since she was visiting her uncle Coran. It was going to be a fun night for only beta’s and omega’s.

The two pranksters were kicked out of the kitchen after Hunk got the pancake off his head. They gave each other a high five before sitting down on the couch with Shay as Pidge loaded up the movies they were going to be watching to a track list on her laptop. Pidge had agreed to only have one horror movie.

“So any others friends coming tonight?” Shay asked. She really was perfect for Hunk. They were like two cinnamon rolls, and they matched each other perfectly.

“Nope, it’s just us.” Matt said as he moved off the couch to sit beside his sister. He wanted to help pick out the movies. Matt was also the only other person Pidge let touch her equipment. Lance didn’t really get what she was doing, and Hunk, well, they had different ideas about how to code and was usually told to use his own laptop.

“Allura won’t be back until midweek, next week. And Shiro and Keith said they would hang with us tomorrow, tonight just was something special.” Lance explained as he grabbed a few of the blankets to make a small nest of the couch. It always made it more comfortable to watch a movie in a nest. He wished he had some of his own blankets to use, but Hunk’s worked just fine. Hunk’s scent was just as calming as the ones that smelled of his family. The two omegas talked about what was going on in Shay’s life as they waited for Hunk to finish dinner. Lance really liked having another omega to talk to. Of course Lance had a sister, a few cousins, and even a nieces and a nephew that were omega’s, but it was different talking to family and talking to a friend.

It didn’t take Hunk long to bring the food out, though Lance and Matt were given theirs last. The party was in full swing after that. Pidge had her only horror movie playing second in the list, and she laughed when she was the only one who didn’t scream at it. How Pidge could not be so scared of some of the things was a mystery to Lance. Maybe Matt’s jokes that his sister was a gremlin weren’t wrong?

Around midnight, they had to pause the movie they were watching because Shay fell asleep. Hunk picked her up and carried her to the guest room she was staying in. Lance used the time to check his snapchats. He had a streak going of almost 500 with one of his cousins, he wasn’t going to lose it because of a party with his friends. He answered his few other chats before looking at everyone’s stories. Hunk’s was just his day with Shay. He couldn’t wait for those two to actually mate, their kids would be the cutest cinnamon rolls. Too bad they were both too shy to do anything yet. Maybe he could get them together completely soon enough.

But when Lance got to Shiro’s stories, he felt his heart break into more pieces than he had ever felt before. He probably shouldn’t have felt this hurt by the pictures, but he really couldn’t help it. They were all pictures Shiro and Keith, kissing, mate marks showing, holding hands, anything that had to do with putting their relationship between each other in the spotlight. It really shouldn’t be something that was affecting him so much. Shiro and Keith were mates. They were allowed to have a date night together and be happy. But as the final picture came up with words on it, Lance knew he was in trouble. ‘Two years as mates, and a lifetime together. I’m happy to call Keith my soul mate’. Lance was happy for them, honestly he was. He was glad that after everything Keith and Shiro had been through they got to be happy with each other. But the longer Lance stared at the two alpha’s happy smile and Shiro’s arm wrapped around Keith, the more his chest and heart broke.

Lance dropped his phone as he started coughing. He couldn’t catch his breath at all. Never before had his coughing fits caused him this much pain. He really couldn’t take it. His eyes were starting to water as he pushed himself off the couch. He felt bad that he almost stepped on Matt and Pidge as he ran towards the bathroom, but he couldn’t get anything else through his mind. He could hear Matt and Pidge calling him but he couldn’t understand them. He knew he ran into Hunk too at one point, but his only concern was to make it to the bathroom. He fell to his knees in front of the toilet just in time to vomit up a mix of blood and flowers.

Lance hated the sight of the complete flowers coming out of his body. It was too strange to see, but he couldn’t think long about it as another waved came over him. He was trying too hard to get air in his lungs and not think about the tears running down his cheek. It was basically a year since he first started to cough up blood, how come he had some much still left in his lungs.

Hunk came to the door followed by the Holts, and Lance felt like he wanted to disappear. He didn’t want any of his friends to know about his sickness. How could Lance every explain to them that he was vomiting flowers because of his love for Shiro and Keith and could never be with them?

“Lance, what’s wrong?” Hunk asked as he moved into the bathroom. He looked into the toilet and his eyes widened. “Lance, we need to get you to the hospital.” Hunk said, bending down to pull Lance to his feet.

“Hunk...” Lance started, wanting to push off any concern, but he couldn’t as he vomited into the toilet for the third time.

“Matt, help me bring him to the car. Pidge, can you stay with Shay, we will call you if we hear anything before the morning.” Hunk said. Lance still tried to fight off his friends, but he was too weak at this point to do so. Hunk and Matt held him up as they walked to the car. Pidge grabbed a towel and gave it to her brother incase Lance threw up again, and frowned as she watched them drive. Lance passed out on the way to the hospital. He was rushed to the emergency room as they got there, and Matt and Hunk were left in the waiting room. It was long night of tests and exams.

When breakfast came, the nurse asked if he was able to have visitors. Lance didn’t know who was here this early in the morning, but he welcomed them in. Hunk, Matt, Pidge came running into the room, and Pidge jumped up on to the bed to hold him. Hunk and Matt were still in the same clothes as last night, even though Shay brought them both a change of clothes when she came with Pidge. Shay was the next one in the room followed by Shiro and Keith. Lance didn’t know how he felt about Shiro and Keith being there, but he couldn’t really ask them to leave without being weird. He just knew that with what was going on in his body, that the alpha couple might aggravate it. He had already scared his friends enough; he didn’t need to make it worse.

“Hunk, Matt, please tell me you didn’t spend the night in the hospital with me?” Lance said as he pushed himself up to sit a little easier with Pidge beside him. It made him happy knowing that his friends worried about him that much to stay, but he didn’t want to them to worry so much.

“Of course we stayed! One minute you’re fine and then next you’re throwing up flower and blood.” Matt said. Hunk moved to the other side of Lance to hold his hand. Pidge held tighter to Lance at the words. They may be adults, but Lance was as much Pidge’s brother as Matt was and last night had scared her.

“Well, in my defense, it never got this bad before. So I didn’t think it would cause any problems.” Lance tired to laugh the statement off, but it only made his friends frown. Shiro moved from the door to hold to the end of the bed, as if he needed the support. There was something about the alpha that didn’t seem right to Lance when he got closer. Lance couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but it made him worry more about Shiro’s health than his own right now. Keith didn’t seem to be in a better attitude. He was leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Shay had moved to take one of the seats by the windows. Lance was glad to have Shay there, even if they weren’t as close as he was with the others. Having another omega there did me him feel a little better.

“Wait, you mean this has happened before?” Shiro asked. Lance could see the metal footboard at the end of his bed bend under Shiro’s metal prosthetic. Lance looked away from the alpha, almost too embarrassed to speak.

“Yeah, but like I said, it was never this bad so I didn’t really say anything. Sure, coughing up flowers is weird, but I didn’t really know what was causing it. And I thought it would only be taken as a joke if I went to see anyone about it.” It was only a half lie. He couldn’t tell the full truth, at least not with the people around him right now.

Pidge pulled back a bit to look at Lance, “so the doctors don’t know what’s wrong?” Lance could have sworn he saw Keith flinch angrily at her words, but he was already smelling of anger so it was hard to tell the truth.

“No, they called it, ‘hanahaki’. But the process to remove the flowers from my body is simple. Once the doctors contact the surgeon to do it, I’ll schedule something soon.” Lance explained. He didn’t want to give the specifics of the disease if he didn’t have to. The less Keith and Shiro knew about what was going on the better.

“I heard of that before.” Lance felt a shiver run down his spine at Shay’s words. He looked to her quickly, as everyone else did as well. “Hanahaki is the disease one gets from unrequited love. The flowers will kill you if they aren’t removed, but if they are removed, you lose your feelings and memories for the one you fell in love with.” All eyes in the room were back on Lance as he tried to disappear into the bed. The atmosphere of the room had changed as Shay explained to everyone what Lance didn’t want them to know.

“Lance, is that true?” Hunk’s voice was soft. Lance kept staring at his lap, not wanting to answer that question. It was obviously true. Shay wouldn’t lie about something like that. Lance didn’t think Shay could lie if she wanted to.

“So you’re just going to give up? You’re not even going to try and confess?” Keith half yelled. Lance bit his tongue to stop himself from reacting. It was a lot harder than Keith made it seem, but of course Keith didn’t understand that since Lance was purposely keeping it from the alpha couple.

“I’m not giving up. I am making a choice that I think is best, and ones that is not best for only me.” Lance mumbled. He really wanted to be alone now. He had already made up his mind. He would be getting the flowers removed. “The doctor said that I would have to get the flowers remove or have the feelings returned by my next heat.” Lance wouldn’t explain that his next heat was less than a month away. He wouldn’t force himself into Shiro and Keith’s bed just so he could pine for them. He wouldn’t make them accept someone they didn’t want as a mate.

“Well, you should still tell the person. Who did you fall in love with anyway?” Matt asked Lance looked to Matt with wide eyes and a blush. Was he serious? Did he really think Lance would just open up that information.

“It’s probably Allura. You’re always flirting with her.” Hunk chuckled. Lance looked to his friend and sighed. At least Hunk was trying to make him feel better about the situation by laughing. Hunk’s deep belly laugh was always contagious.

“It’s not Allura. She and I both know my flirts with her are just for play. I don’t mean them romantically.” Lance said crossing his arms over his chest. “And don’t try to guess because I will deny anyone you say.” Pidge sat up farther and smirked wickedly. It really was a shock that Pidge wasn’t some spy or something.

“Don’t try us, Lance. Matt and I will hack your phone if we have to, to know who you’re crushing on.” Pidge pushed up her glasses and Lanced almost paled at the challenge. Knowing Pidge and Matt, they would find out anything if it was technology related. Lance didn’t have any strange pictures of Shiro and Keith on his phone, but he did have a few messages he saved from them that wouldn’t take a genius to read his true feelings from.

“No, please, don’t. I don’t want them to know about my feelings. That’s why I’m getting the flowers removed. They don’t need me getting between them.” Lance knew he was giving out far more information than he wanted to about this, but he didn’t seem to have a choice. He wanted his friends to just accept that he was moving on and he would be fine after the surgery. Once the flowers were removed and he was healed, he would still be the same Lance that they always knew. Maybe he would act differently around Keith and Shiro for a little bit, but that would only be until he was learned how to act around them without crushing on them.

Pidge slipped off the bed to stand beside her actual brother. She could tell when there was a line her friends didn’t want crossed. “Between them? What do you mean by that?” Matt asked. He would drop it if Lance wanted him to, but he was trying to understand what had made his friend so sick.

Lance fidgeted lightly with the IV in his arm. Maybe he should just get this all off his chest; he was getting the flowers removed anyway. There should be no awkward feelings between him and the alphas soon enough. “I… I fell in love… with two people. But they are mated together. That’s why I am trying to forget about my feelings for them. They are happy together. I couldn’t jump in that relationship and ruin it. I don’t want them to feel like they need to make room just because I love them. Every time I saw them together, it hurt. Not because I wanted to love them more, but because I could see that they didn’t need me. I’m never going to tell them the truth. They don’t need some weak omega ruining their love for each other.”

“That’s bullshit!” Keith yelled, pushing off the wall. His hands were fist beside him, and his scent was starting to get suffocating.

“Keith, language,” Shiro said as he turned to his mate, hoping to control his outburst.

Keith half growled at Shiro as he moved closer to the bed. “No, Shiro, I’m not going to stay quiet for this. Lance, you’re being stupid if you think you’re not needed. I don’t care who this couple is. Just because they are mated to each other, doesn’t mean they couldn’t add you. You’re an amazing omega, Lance. Any person would be lucky to have you. You are the strongest omega I know. And you are just as much of a pilot as Shiro and I. Stop saying bullshit lies about yourself when they aren’t true.”

Lance just stared at Keith. The omega’s heart was ready to beat out of his chest. He couldn’t explain how happy he was to hear Keith compliment him like that. It was not new to the group that Keith wasn’t usually a talker, but to hear his words at that moment felt nice. It almost seemed better coming from Keith than anyone else, because Keith wouldn’t say something like that unless he truly felt it. Shiro walked over to Keith and held him tightly, nuzzling into his neck to help calm him down.

Shiro was whispering something to his mate, but Lance couldn’t hear it because of the monitors beside him were starting to go crazy. Lance’s chest felt tight, and he started coughing. He was glad Hunk was able to grab a trash bin for him before he threw up. Matt hit the panic button to call the nurses when it was clear that this wasn’t going to calm down without help. Lance had tears or pain running down as he watched his friends be pushed from the room and the nurses forced an oxygen mask on his mouth and nose.

It was late when Lance woke up again. He was glad to see his room was decorated though. There was a few extra blankets on his bed and some things he knew were from his nest at home. He could also tell that his friends had added some things so this new nest could smell like them. He was glad to have them. He paused though as he saw two figures standing outside the door. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from the silhouette he knew who they were. It was Shiro and Keith talking to a nurse. He wondered what they were still doing around here, and he wondered where the others were.

Lance closed his eyes quickly as the door opened, pretending to be asleep still. He didn’t know if the two alphas could tell from the monitors that he was awake, but he wanted to pretend as long as he could. He heard one chair being pulled from the windows closer to the bed. He guessed that was Shiro since he sighed heavily when he sat down. Lance didn’t know where Keith was until he felt something placed in between his arm and chest. “Lance, this is red. You better take care of him.” Keith said. Lance could tell that whatever Keith had placed beside him was something of his. It smelled completely of Keith, though Shiro’s scent was slightly on it as well. He heard Keith sit beside Shiro. “I want him to wake up.”

“I do to. But we have some time until visiting hours are over. If he doesn’t wake up by then, we’ll decide what to do then.” Shiro said. Lance wondered why the two were trying to stay for him but he couldn’t think of a reason. Maybe he could guess why Hunk or Pidge stayed, but Keith and Shiro were a mystery.

Lance turned his head slowly to look at what Keith had got. It was an old red stuffed hippo. Lance almost laughed when he saw it. He didn’t peg Keith as someone to have a stuffed animal from his childhood. But it was nice to have it close, especially with the scents on it. He knew it was stupid to get sentimental over it, but it made his chest feel better to have Keith’s scent close. He looked over to the two alphas and froze slightly. He didn’t know if his chest tightened because of the pain seeing Keith resting against Shiro’s metal arm with his eyes closed, or the fact that Shiro was staring at him directly.

“Glad to see you awake, Lance.” Shiro smiled. Keith’s head snapped up and he looked to Lance. It was clear both alphas had been worried, but it was doing better to see him awake.

Lance coughed slightly, but nothing came from his throat. “Hey, guys. Where’s everyone else?” Lance asked. His voice was hoarse but that was to be expected from the coughing fits he had had in the last few hours. Lance was happy to wake up to his friends still being there, though it put him on edge a little to have it be the alphas.

Shiro and Keith stood, each moving to either side of him. “They are home, probably sitting by a phone waiting for us to call to say you woke up.” Shiro explained with a little chuckle. He was obviously trying to make the best of a hard situation. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at Lance with a gentle frown. Lance knew he had worried his friends more than he ever would want to. He hoped they could forgive him one day for all of this. Shiro looked up to Keith a moment before back to Lance. “Lance, can we ask you something?”

Lance looked between the two alphas, subconsciously starting to hold the red hippo a little tighter. He just nodded though he didn’t know what they would want to ask. It wasn’t like he couldn’t deny the answer after they asked. Shiro opened his mouth but stopped and closed it again. It made Lance a bit more worried to have Shiro not able to speak. Keith decided to take the words that Shiro was obviously thinking. “Do you love us?”

Shiro growled slightly as he looked to Keith, but the smaller alpha just shrugged. Lance was wide eyed as he looked between them. Why were they asking that? Lance couldn’t even hide how fast his heart was racing as the monitor beside him displayed it perfectly. “Lance... please don’t be mad, but we figured out it is us that are causing your reactions. We are the only mated couple that you are really around. So, if it is us, we want you to tell us.” Shiro said. Lance looked down to his lap, not wanting to look at the alphas. He was holding tightly to Keith’s hippo, and knew he would have buried his nose in it if it weren’t for the oxygen mask still on his face. Lance didn’t know if he could say it. He didn’t want to be rejected. They were happily mated together, they didn’t need him.

Keith sat down on the bed and took hold of Lance’s hand tightly. “We love you too, both of us do.” Keith said quickly. Lance looked to Keith, eyes wider than they probably had ever been before. How could they love him when they were in love with each other? It doesn’t make sense. “We never thought you were interested in us, so we never said anything. Do you know how many times Shiro has said your name when we’re together?” Lance felt his face grow hot as he looked quickly to Shiro.

Shiro coughed awkwardly as he tried to hide his own flush. “Well, I am not the only one who has said it.” Lance could feel a small smile pull to his lips. Had they really said his name? He looked down to his lap though as he thought about it.

“You… you don’t have to accept me. You two are mates and have been for two years. I don’t want to ruin that by making you include me.” Lance said. It really hurt knowing this is what he wanted to hear but he couldn’t accept it. He wouldn’t jump into a relationship that was happy without him.

“Lance, I just said we both love you. We are not forcing ourselves here. We want you with us.” Keith said. He moved closer to pull Lance into a hug. Keith wasn’t usually a touchy sort of person, unless he was with Shiro. Lance swallowed the lump in his throat as he slowly moved his arms up around Keith in return.

“I.. I love you. I love you both so much.” Lance snuffled slightly as he didn’t want to cry just yet. It felt nice to be held by Keith, to have his scent so close. Lance was tempted to take off the oxygen mask so he could nuzzle into Keith. It made things easier when Shiro shifted behind him to nuzzle into his neck.

“It’s okay Lance. We’ll take you home as soon as the doctors let us. You don’t have to be alone.” Shiro whispered. It felt so nice to have both alphas on either side on him. Keith pulled back slightly to remove the oxygen mask to place a kiss on Lance’s lips. Shiro was kissing his neck between nuzzles. The three of them laid down on the bed under the blankets, Lance in the middle between the two alphas, the red hippo still in is arms. He was very easily falling asleep with the alpha’s scents around him.

Lance was almost passed out when there was a soft knock on the door. “I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over. I have to ask you to finish up and head out. You can come back tomorrow.” Lance laughed at the two deep growls from the alphas around him, both moving closer as if to hid him from sight. Lance nuzzled into Keith a bit more, reaching up to place a soft hand on Shiro’s metal arm. Thankfully the nurse seemed to understand what was going on. “Okay, I will allow it this one time, but nothing is to happen. Mr. McClain still needs his rest.” The nurse said before leaving the room. Lance was happy though. They would still have to work at the relationship between the three of them, but Lance was needed by these alphas, his alphas. He fell asleep peacefully that night, content to sleep between Shiro and Keith.


End file.
